PeruRail: Services, Stations and Fares to Machu Picchu

PeruRail is one of the two companies that operate passenger trains on the line to Machu Picchu. The other is Inca Rail, and if you are still weighing the two against each other, our comparison of PeruRail or Inca Rail sets them side by side. This page is a deep dive on PeruRail specifically. The parent Train to Machu Picchu page gives the broader overview of all operators and routes, so here we stay on PeruRail's own services, stations, rules and booking options.

PeruRail sells its Machu Picchu route in three named tiers on its own brand, plus a fourth long-distance service that has nothing to do with Machu Picchu at all. The tiers are Expedition, Vistadome and Vistadome Observatory. On top of these, PeruRail's tracks also carry the Belmond-operated luxury trains, most famously the Hiram Bingham, which PeruRail markets alongside its own fleet. The Hiram Bingham is a different animal entirely, with dining cars, bar cars and an open-air observation car, and it is covered in full on our Hiram Bingham page.

Expedition

Expedition is PeruRail's entry-level service. PeruRail's own description is travel from Cusco to Machu Picchu at the lowest cost, with on-board comforts and decor inspired by Inca culture. In practical terms, this is the tier for travellers who care about getting there at a fair price and can live without floor-to-ceiling glass.

You still ride the same rails, through the same Sacred Valley and canyon scenery, and arrive at the same Machu Picchu Station in the town. For most budget-conscious visitors, Expedition does the job.

Vistadome

Vistadome is the mid tier. Its defining feature is full panoramic windows on the ceiling and the sides of the coaches, which give you a much wider view of the landscape as the train climbs and then drops into the Urubamba gorge. If the ride itself is part of what you paid for, and it is, because the final stretch along the river is the best scenery on the line, Vistadome is the tier built for that.

Vistadome Observatory

Vistadome Observatory sits at the top of PeruRail's own range. It promises 360-degree views throughout the journey and live onboard entertainment. One honest caveat: PeruRail's own page for this tier, as fetched in our research, does not itemise a specific meal for it, so we will not claim one.

If food service matters to your booking, ask the operator or check the listing for your exact departure before you buy.

Titicaca, not a Machu Picchu train

PeruRail also runs a train called the Titicaca, a separate long-distance service across the Andes to Lake Titicaca, or in the other direction to Cusco. It is a completely different journey on a different line. If you see the Titicaca name on PeruRail's site, do not confuse it with the Machu Picchu trains.

It will not take you to the citadel or to Aguas Calientes, and we will not describe it further here because it belongs to a different trip.

PeruRail uses two departure stations in the Cusco area, and they are not the same place, so read your ticket carefully.

San Pedro Station sits at Calle Cascaparo s/n in Cusco, about 5 minutes from downtown Cusco. It is the convenient option if you are sleeping in the historic centre and do not want an early transfer. The trade-off is time on the rails. San Pedro Station to Machu Picchu Station takes 4 hours 30 minutes.

Poroy Station is at Calle Roldan s/n in the Distrito de Poroy, about 20 minutes from downtown Cusco. It is further out, so you need transport to reach it, but the line from Poroy is faster. Poroy Station to Machu Picchu Station takes 3 hours 30 minutes. Poroy also connects onward to two valley stops: Poroy Station to Ollantaytambo Station is 1 hour 40 minutes, and Poroy Station to Urubamba Station is 1 hour 10 minutes. Some travellers use those intermediate stations to split the journey with a night in the Sacred Valley.

One more thing that catches people out. Every one of these trains drops you at Machu Picchu Station, which sits in the town itself, the place formerly called Aguas Calientes. The station is not at the citadel. From the station you take a bus up the switchback road or walk the path to the entrance, and our bus to Machu Picchu page covers that final leg. The town deserves more than a hurried walk-through, so our things to do guide covers what to see if you stay over.

| Leg | Time | |---|---| | San Pedro Station to Machu Picchu Station | 4 hours 30 minutes | | Poroy Station to Machu Picchu Station | 3 hours 30 minutes | | Poroy Station to Ollantaytambo Station | 1 hour 40 minutes | | Poroy Station to Urubamba Station | 1 hour 10 minutes |

Luggage limits

PeruRail's carry-on rule is strict and enforced at boarding. Each ticket includes one piece of hand luggage, which can be a backpack, a handbag or a briefcase. The maximum weight is 8 kg, or 17.64 lb. The maximum size is 115 linear cm, measured as height plus length plus width, with the dimensional breakdown given as 55 x 35 x 25 cm. Pieces that exceed these limits are not allowed on board, so leave the big suitcase at your Cusco hotel and pack a daypack for the night in town if you are staying over.

The only exception runs on the Titicaca route. On that long-distance service only, passengers may check an additional piece of up to 23 kg into a luggage car. This does not apply to the Machu Picchu trains, so do not count on it for this trip.

If you need special-assistance luggage arrangements, PeruRail asks you to email equipaje@perurail.com at least 48 hours ahead. Requests are subject to available space.

What the ticket does not include

A train ticket, on any PeruRail tier, gets you a seat on the train and nothing else at the top. It does not include the Machu Picchu entrance ticket. Entry to the citadel is sold separately by Peru's Ministry of Culture through its own channels, and our Machu Picchu tickets page explains the circuits, time slots and booking process.

Entry is sold by hourly slot and tickets are valid only for the date and time purchased, so it pays to buy entrance first and then build the train around it.

Prices

Here we have to be straight with you. No fixed public PeruRail fare list for the Expedition or Vistadome tiers was located in this research pass. PeruRail fares are date-priced and vary by departure, and we will not invent a number. Check perurail.com directly for the current date-priced fare for the tier and departure you want.

If you prefer a fixed, known price in one click, we sell our own bookable option for this route: Trip Tour's train to Machu Picchu at $130.00, with a duration of 3 hours 30 minutes, matching the Poroy to Machu Picchu journey time. Pickup is included. Availability is limited on this route, and you get a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start. One honest note: this card does not specify which named PeruRail service tier is used, so if riding a specific tier matters to you, book directly with the operator instead.

If your budget leads and the view is a bonus, book Expedition. It is PeruRail's own lowest-cost option, the decor nods to Inca culture, and you still ride the full route through the valley. Most travellers on a tight spend should start and end here.

If the journey is part of the day's experience, book Vistadome. The panoramic windows on the ceiling and sides of the coaches make the drop into the Urubamba gorge genuinely worth watching, and you lose nothing in arrival time because all tiers run the same rails at the same speeds.

If you want the fullest version of the ride, Vistadome Observatory adds 360-degree views and live onboard entertainment. That is the tier for travellers celebrating something, or for anyone whose whole Peru itinerary built up to this train ride and wants the ride to deliver.

If money is no object, look at the Hiram Bingham, the Belmond-branded luxury train that runs on PeruRail's tracks. Two dining cars, two bar cars, an open-air observation car and more. It is a different product and a different price universe.

Whichever tier you pick, work backwards from your entrance slot at the citadel. The train arrives at Machu Picchu Station in the town, and the bus or walking path is the last leg. If you are choosing between PeruRail and the competition, Inca Rail runs the same corridor with its own tiers, and our PeruRail or Inca Rail page helps you settle it. And if your plans change at the last minute, remember the entrance ticket itself has no date changes or refunds outside force majeure, so lock the citadel slot first and the train second.